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Spain’s coaching culture leads the way, thanks to visionary Johan Cruyff | Philipp Lahm
In a column ahead of the World Cup final, former Germany captain Philipp Lahm argues that Spain’s dominance in football stems from a coaching philosophy rooted in Johan Cruyff’s vision at Barcelona, later refined by disciples such as Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery into an ideology of ball-oriented defending, positional discipline and technical, combination-based play.…
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‘Afraid of nothing’: how Argentina’s players drew on childhood inspiration to reach the final
Argentina have reached the World Cup final after beating England in the semi-final, with manager Lionel Scaloni crediting his squad’s fearless, childlike approach to the game for their success. Striker Lautaro Martínez, who scored the decisive goal, broke down in tears afterwards, speaking movingly about his family’s sacrifices rather than the achievement itself, while Scaloni…
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Fifa gives fraud ‘an open door’ with betting, says Council of Europe chief
The Council of Europe’s secretary general, Alain Berset, has launched an unusually sharp public attack on Fifa, accusing it of leaving an “open door to fraud” through its expanded betting partnerships and of letting political pressure undermine the World Cup’s integrity. In an open letter published to coincide with Sunday’s final, Berset called for a…
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FIFA’s World Cup Halftime Show Puts American-Style Spectacle on the World Stage
FIFA has added an 11-minute halftime show to Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at New York New Jersey Stadium, featuring Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Madonna, BTS and Shakira. The idea originated with Coldplay’s Chris Martin during the 2022 Qatar tournament, and FIFA president Gianni Infantino, already a Coldplay fan, embraced it independently. The…
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What was the first FIFA World Cup song?
The article traces the development of World Cup music, arguing that FIFA did not approve an official pop song until Italia ’90. It identifies Giorgio Moroder’s ‘Un’estate italiana’ as the first official FIFA World Cup song, while noting that earlier tournaments had music closely associated with them without FIFA’s formal involvement. It distinguishes this from…
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World Cup final data pointers: Spain’s defensive record and Argentina’s attack
The reigning champions may need to continue outperforming their xG to overcome Spain’s superb defensive record The World Cup final will feature the champions of South America and Europe for the first time. Argentina and Spain sit first and second in Fifa’s world ranking of men’s international teams. Opta’s supercomputer rated Luis de la Fuente’s…
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Masters of time and space, Spain’s dominance comes from deep-rooted principles | Emma Hayes
Spain’s brilliance isn’t just about Rodri or Lamine Yamal – it’s all about the collective culture developed over many years We talk about individuals too much in English football. Football is about the collective. Spain’s semi-final dominance over France was not built on individual brilliance but on a shared understanding of space, timing and their…
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Argentina face Spain in 2026 World Cup final in New Jersey
Argentina and Spain contested the 2026 FIFA World Cup final on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, kicking off at 3pm ET (8pm BST) and broadcast on FOX, in what stood as the culmination of the tournament co-hosted across North America. The match represented the biggest possible prize for both nations, with Argentina chasing…